YES! WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING! There are currently six cars signed up
for the trip with a seventh pending, and more expressing interest. The
current entries are coming from Illinois, Missouri, Texas, California,
and maybe one from Florida. We also have the offer of a couple of stop
overs and some home brewed beer along the way. We think there will be at
least one lap top computer with a modem in the convoy so we can keep in
touch as we go.
A few of the entries have an empty seat and may be willing to take a
passenger. So for anyone out there without wheels but wanting to go, if
you would like to split the expenses (and maybe the driving), drop me a
line and I'll forward your request to the interested parties. This also
applies to a party of three with only two seats. Maybe we can match up a
few traveling companions. Good idea to include a little personal data
with your request, like posting a note in the personal ads of the local
paper. The more information you include, the more likely we are of
getting a reasonable match.
Current plans call for departure sometime during the first week of June.
I suspect that most of the gang will be north of the US/Canadian border
by Saturday, June 7. Return is planned for early to mid July, no later
than July 16 for some to be back in Texas. The convoy is likely to be
split into two or more parts from time to time, possibly traveling on
slightly differing schedules, with some possibly returning earlier than
others.
Most entries so far like the freedom of camping and shun any reservations
in favor of the freedom to wander at will. We plan on NOT planning as
much as possible. Routing will consist of sticking a few pins in the map
denoting some key locations of interest and then blue-skying an
approximate sequence and route between those points. Scheduling will
consist of setting a few target dates for the specified points of
interest, and possibly for a few other points for the convoy to join up
in between. We expect to find plenty of interesting things to do and
places to visit along the way.
So far it is nearly unanimous that part of the trip include the end of
the road to Prudhoe Bay inside of the arctic circle. Seems we all want
to see the sun going around in circles in mid summer, or the oil fields,
or the Arctic Ocean, or maybe "just because it's there". It is likely
that this excursion to the largely barren far north will be early in the
trip to get some of the unknowns out of the way. Incidentally, the last
414 miles of the Dalton Highway leading to Prudhoe Bay is a gravel haul
road, only opened to the public since December 1994. So, if you haven't
been there in the last two years, you haven't been there.
Most of the other roads we will be traveling on are paved in some form or
another, although we will likely take a few side trips on unpaved roads
as local interest dictates. The more interesting roads seem to be south
from Fairbanks, on down to Anchorage and beyond. I'm sure we will
ultimately be traveling on most of the main highways in the state, and
seeing anything and everything that's worth seeing. Also fairly sure
there will be at least one short ferry trip (probably without the cars).
Also the possibility of white water rafting on the Yukon River for the
more adventurous.
For any questions between updates, or for anyone else wanting to sign up,
contact NKED65A@prodigy.com (Bob Nogueira) or BarneyMG@juno.com (Barney
Gaylord).
Cheers to the list, and pray for the wildcats.
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
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